1976 Swine Flu Scare Taught What Not to Do

History, and this past spring, show novel strains 'crowd out' normal ones

(NEWSER) - A perfect storm of factors related to the swine flu pandemic have many experts predicting the usual seasonal flu viruses will be no-shows this season. First off, the rush for H1N1 vaccinations saw many patients being vaccinated for the seasonal varieties as well. And then there’s “crowding out,” a little-understand phenomenon that means novel flu strains essentially monopolize patients' lungs. More»

Some scientist say it's airborne, not spread by touch

(NEWSER) - Everyone from Elmo to President Obama is telling people to wash their hands to avoid getting the swine flu, and Disney could make a killing on “Musical Hand Wash Timers” featuring its stable of characters. But Newsweek talks to scientists skeptical of the approach: Hand-washing might be great for colds, but not so much against the flu because they say it's transmitted by air instead of through touch. More»

(NEWSER) - Pregnant women and people who care for infants will be first in line for the swine flu vaccine this fall, the Washington Post reports. Infants, children and young adults under 24, chronically ill adults aged 25 to 64, and health care workers are the other top priority groups under guidelines drawn up by experts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention yesterday. More»

H1N1 has killed 10K Americans

(NEWSER) - Swine flu had sickened 50 million Americans, and killed 10,000 of them by mid-November, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates released yesterday. A sixth of the population has been infected and over 200,000 people with the H1N1 virus have been hospitalized. The number of deaths is normal for flu season but far more of the deaths than usual have been children and young adults, the Los Angeles Times reports. More»

Tamiflu-resistant cluster crops up in NC; 3 of 4 patients dead

(NEWSER) - The swine flu outbreak is slacking off in some areas, but don't get complacent, officials say: Pandemics naturally fluctuate. "There can be multiple ups and downs over the season," says a CDC doctor. "We have many weeks ahead of us where disease is going to be circulating." Infections in people under 65 have dropped in the past month, but the holiday season is a recipe for transmission. More»